In order for a community solar energy project to operate, a group of users need to pay for the project and receive renewable energy credit lines for their contributions. Although this type of subscription is usually lower than customers' usual electricity bills, community solar is not a widely adopted energy option nationwide.

How to educate, attract and retain customers has always been a huge challenge, "said Dan Clarke, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Nexamp, a community solar developer. This is not a challenging product, but a product with low visibility in the field. It's not like buying soft drinks, people know it's like Coca Cola, Pepsi, and some other brands

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory reports that community solar projects have covered 44 states, with 23 states and Washington D.C. explicitly allowing the use of such solar energy through legislation as of June 2024. Unlike independent projects, community solar cell arrays require financial support from community residents and businesses, so promotion is a crucial step in project development and long-term maintenance.

The promotion method of new community solar energy projects depends on the community's cognitive level. Then, it depends on the degree of involvement of the city or municipal authorities in the project.

The traditional promotion methods include holding face-to-face meetings to introduce the basic knowledge of community solar energy; Sending emails (sometimes printed on official letterhead of the municipal authorities) to residents, informing them of new projects in the community; Or carry out digital marketing activities and produce informational videos.

Education always comes first, "Clark said. We have delved into many details to help customers understand what it is; its benefits, we are not third-party energy suppliers, we are different, how it operates. We have spent a lot of time, effort, and resources creating educational content to truly help explain a plan that may be a bit difficult to understand. What I mean is, energy itself is complex

Nexamp develops, builds, and maintains community solar arrays and subscription services, which Clarke says will help launch solar arrays in new towns. If successful, the array will exist for 30 years and will require a subscription service during this period.

For new markets and locations, you need to start from scratch because community solar energy is not within the scope of national attention, "said Keith Hevenor, Nexamp Communications Manager. It is actually only within the scope of concern of each state

The company assists advocacy organizations such as the Solar Energy Industry Association and the Community Solar Energy Usage Alliance in raising awareness of the concept of community solar energy and its project operation methods.

New York solar developer UGE does not manage community solar subscriptions, but still finds promotion to be a necessary element for project initiation. UGE leases land for community solar projects, and landowners typically need to receive similar concept education as potential subscribers.